What does building an online shop with nextlevels cost?

It depends heavily on scope. A manageable shop based on Shopware typically starts in the low five-figure range, while complex B2B or headless projects with ERP and PIM interfaces sit above that. On top come running costs for hosting, licenses and maintenance as a separate line item. You get a concrete fixed-price offer after a short discovery in which we clarify requirements, interfaces and data volumes.

How long until my shop goes live?

A clearly scoped shop usually takes from a few weeks to a few months. The range is wide because it depends on the number of interfaces, the complexity of your assortment and the data migration. We work in iterations: you see a working state early and give feedback, rather than only seeing the finished result at the end.

Which shop system do you recommend – Shopware, headless or something else?

Our focus is Shopware, because as an open-source system it is powerful, extensible and well established in the German mid-market. We recommend headless architectures (Shopware as backend, your own frontend) when you need maximum frontend freedom or special performance. We make the decision based on your requirements, not on principle – a simple shop doesn't need a headless setup.

Can you migrate my existing shop?

Yes. We migrate existing shops including product data, customers, order history and URL structure. The URLs and redirects in particular are crucial so your SEO rankings don't collapse during the move. Before migrating we analyze your current shop and plan the move so ongoing operations are disrupted as little as possible.

Do you support B2B, B2C and D2C equally?

Yes. In B2C, conversion, speed and a frictionless checkout matter most. In B2B, requirements such as customer-specific price lists, tiered pricing, order approvals, quotation features and ERP integration come into play. We support D2C brands from brand staging to the logistics interface. We build the shop around your business model, not the other way round.

How do you ensure performance and scalability?

Performance isn't an afterthought for us but part of the architecture. We optimize for good Core Web Vitals, use caching, a CDN and clean database indexes, and test behavior under load. That keeps your shop fast and stable even during load peaks such as sales campaigns or Black Friday.

What about data protection, security and payment processing?

We build shops GDPR-compliant and integrate payments via certified payment providers, so no sensitive card data sits on your server. Updates, secure configuration and a roles-and-permissions concept are standard for us. In e-commerce, security isn't an optional add-on but a prerequisite for trust and conversion.

Who owns the shop – does vendor lock-in arise?

You own everything: code, configuration, data and content. Because we build on open-source technology like Shopware, you're not tied to proprietary systems and could in principle hand operations to another team. We document cleanly – vendor lock-in is not our business model.

E-Commerce: Replatforming Strategy

ReplatformingStrategy

A platform switch is more than a technical move — it is a strategic decision that shapes your e-commerce for years to come. We help you choose the right platform for your business model, set up the migration as a controlled project, and consciously shed legacy debt in the process. The result is not a copy of your old system on new software, but a platform built to last.

Develop Replatforming Strategy

Challenges you'll recognise

You know a platform switch is necessary but have no structured approach for choosing the right platform or executing the switch without major risks.
Previous replatforming projects escalated because preparation was insufficient and risks only became visible mid-project.
You want to shed legacy debt in the switch but don't know which processes and features you actually need on the new system.

Platform Evaluation

Shopware, Commercetools, BigCommerce, or a custom headless setup? We analyse your business model, integration landscape, team, and budget, then evaluate platforms against criteria that matter to you — not analyst reports. The result is a reasoned recommendation, not a default answer.

Requirements Analysis

Before the target platform is fixed, we clarify: what features do you actually need? Which legacy burdens from the existing system do you not want to carry forward? Which processes should run differently on the new platform? This analysis prevents a replatforming from simply reproducing known problems with new aesthetics.

Risk Assessment

Every migration carries risks — data loss, ranking drops, live operation downtime. We identify the biggest risks in your specific setup early, assess their likelihood and impact, and derive measures that reduce residual risk to a manageable level. A replatforming without risk analysis is a project without a plan B.

Migration Roadmap

From the platform decision, requirements analysis, and risk assessment, we create a detailed migration roadmap: phases, milestones, dependencies, test phases, and go-live criteria. This roadmap is the foundation for project management and gives you a clear overview of status and next steps at any time.

Good to know

Platform choice is a five-year decision
The e-commerce platform you choose determines development costs, maintenance effort, and flexibility for years ahead. Switching again after go-live is more expensive than thorough evaluation before the decision. Time invested in the strategy phase pays back multiple times during execution.
Replatforming is a clean-up opportunity
Anyone who simply copies everything 1:1 in a switch carries the same structural problems forward. A structured requirements assessment is the only way to consciously decide what to bring and what to leave behind.
Risk analysis before project start
The biggest risks in a replatforming — SEO losses, data gaps, integration failures — are identifiable in advance. Discovering them mid-project costs time and budget. Identifying them upfront turns risks into manageable decisions.

Frequently asked questions

When does replatforming make sense and when doesn't it?

Replatforming makes sense when the existing platform is technologically outdated, further development becomes disproportionately expensive, or structural requirements can no longer be met. If the problems are more about missing features that could be built on the existing platform, a targeted expansion may be more economical.

How long does the strategic preparation for a replatforming take?

A complete strategy assessment including platform evaluation, requirements analysis, gap assessment, and migration roadmap typically takes several weeks, depending on the complexity of your setup. This preparation saves multiples of that time and budget later in the project.

Do you also accompany the implementation after the strategy phase?

Yes, we typically handle strategy and implementation from a single source. This prevents information loss at the handover and ensures that decisions made in the strategy phase are consistently carried through to execution.

Shopware B2B Suite 2026: Features, costs and why the suite is being phased out

Commerce & Shopware05/24/2026

Shopware B2B Suite 2026: Features, costs, EOL with 6.8 - and the honest decision Suite vs. B2B Components for new projects.

Angular vs React vs Vue: Which frontend framework suits your shop?

Commerce & Shopware04/08/2026

Angular, React or Vue for your shop? A practical comparison for e-commerce and headless shopware with a clear recommendation based on team, SEO and setup.

Subscription commerce with Shopware: How recurring revenue supports your shop

Commerce & Shopware05/29/2026

Subscription commerce turns one-off purchases into predictable, recurring revenue. How this works with Shopware and how to start a subscription model.

Why nextlevels

Success you can measure

With us you're always at the cutting edge of technology and benefit directly from our developer expertise. Together we analyze your shop, identify key areas and develop tailor-made solutions. Your goals and expectations are at the center of our work.

Developers, not resellers
Your shop is built by developers who understand the code — nothing gets passed to subcontractors.
Shopware down to the detail
Architecture, API integration and performance from hundreds of project hours.
One team, every discipline
Development, design and marketing from a single source — no friction at the handoffs.
Built for growth
We build for conversion, load time and revenue — not for gut feeling.
Partner, not vendor
We stay on after launch and keep developing your shop continuously.

Ready for your successful online shop?

Whether it's an improvement or a fresh start — a no-obligation conversation never hurt anyone.

Paul Kalisch
Executive Partner

info@nextlevels.de +49 (0) 2161 539 71 60